The Great Plan of the Tadarin

SCT 2490.4.19 13:49

Intensive Care Unit of the Bhekar Revolutionary Army Command Center Hospital.

As Augustus, clad in his Power Armor, stepped into the monitoring room, the armor's servo systems emitted a slight hum. The CMC Power Armor was so enormous that he had to bend over to pass through the doorway.

Lisa Cassidy, the hospital administrator with long, wavy, ginger-yellow hair, was waiting for Augustus with several doctors. Two Revolutionary Army Ghost operative stood beside them, their expressions grave and the atmosphere serious.

The Revolutionary Army has only about twenty Ghost operative, seven of whom come from the Victor V Confederacy Research Base, and the rest are Ghost operative from the Alpha Squadron. After the Psionics suppressors of these Alpha Squadron Ghost operative were removed and their past memories were restored, they switched their allegiance to Augustus's Revolutionary Army due to their hatred for the Confederacy and the Ghost Academy.

Due to Ghost Program, almost all active Ghost operative in the Terran Confederacy experienced separation from their families between the ages of 3 and 5. What awaited these children was brutal training, where they were trained to become powerful human warriors and learn how to control the Psionics within them.

Augustus valued these Ghost operative highly; in other words, he was obsessed with collecting Psionics.

After Augustus went inside, Kerrigan, Swann, and the others behind him stepped through the door. Because there were too many guards following him, many more had to stand outside.

"This Tal'darim is badly injured. Rather than the wounds inflicted by our weapons, which would be fatal to humans, it's more likely an injury from a long time ago," Lisa said, exchanging a glance with Kerrigan behind Augustus.

"It's hard to imagine what kind of being in the universe could inflict such trauma on such a technologically advanced race. If that were the case, humanity would likely have one more enemy. But based on the analysis of the wound, it was his own people who inflicted it."

"That must have been a nightmare." Augustus looked at the Tal'darim lying on the white textile sheets.

Augustus confirmed that the Taldarim spider-type mechs appearing on the battlefield were undoubtedly Protoss Dragoon walking mechs, and that there was a Tal'darim Dragoon pilot in front of him.

The Tal'darim lay naked on the hospital bed, covered only by a Silk sheet. He was barely human; his right leg had been severed at the root by some weapon, and his arm on the same side had suffered the same wound, his skin covered in scars. Even so, his eyes still radiated a crimson light, as if they contained two red stars.

Those were not human eyes made up of sclera and pupil, but points of light radiating pure light. When the Protoss's emotions became unstable, their eyes would ripple like flowing water.

"Tal'darim, I am Augustus Mengsk, the leader of these humans." Augustus looked at the Tal'darim on the sick ship.

However, Augustus did not receive the response he expected. The Tal'darim stared at Augustus with its eyes, which resembled red stars, but remained silent.

"He refuses to communicate with humans—but based on the intelligence we have so far, the Tal'darim can communicate directly with humans at the 'consciousness level,' ignoring the language barrier," Lisa Augustus.

"Then can he understand what I'm saying?" Augustus, looking at Lisa.

"It's not clear yet whether the Taldarim can easily master our language, but at least they can read your mind," Lisa nodded in reply. "Just like our Psionics, they can easily understand the thoughts of other beings."

"You have no idea what an opportunity lies before you, Taldarim." Augustus turned to the Tal'darim and moved closer, while his guards kept a close watch on him. No one could guarantee that a physically crippled Tal'darim Tal'darim n't be able to use his Psionics to attack his enemies.

Although it appears that the Tal'darim Psionics vary in strength, only the most powerful Taldarim can unleash Psionics attacks comparable to magical attacks.

"You can achieve your revenge in my hands. Imagine the Tal'darim who brought you to this state, and your fellow Protoss who watched all this with indifference," Augustus.

Augustus knew that, unlike their self-proclaimed orthodox Aiur Protoss brethren, the Taldarim were a race where the victor reigned supreme. In the fierce battles and intrigues among their own kind, the strong would gain status and power, while the losers would lose everything.

Every Taldarim is a powerful warrior, because the weakest are eliminated, much like the Spartans in Earth's time. The relationship between Taldarim is like that between Taldarim.

This technologically advanced civilization still practices slavery even today, and they are equally cruel to their own kind and their enemies.

Upon hearing Augustus's words, the Tal'darim turned their heads, as if they were moved by something.

"Marshal Mengsk, my assistants and I have acquired two spider-type mechs from the Tal'darim." After a few seconds of silence, Swann's assistant, Viktor Kaczynski, said.

"We discovered that the cockpit of this spider-like mech is filled with life-sustaining fluid, and the pilot is directly connected to the mech via a neural link—a technology that is simply unheard of." He continued, "Thanks to this technology, the pilot and the mech are almost one; the mechanical legs are as flexible and free as their limbs, as if the machine itself is the machine."

"But the cockpits of these mechs are all sealed shut. In other words, the Tal'darim engineers welded the hatches shut in a crude and primitive way. Once the pilot gets inside, he may never have the chance to get out again in his lifetime."

"How cruel," Kerrigan said again.

"But maybe Jimmy would like this kind of thing; he'd love to be one with his Vulture." Augustus simply shrugged, intending to mock the Tal'darim.

"Enough! You have no right to criticize the Taldarim, the chosen ones of the Creator." Finally, the Tal'darim spoke, his voice reaching the minds of every human present.

Perhaps this Taldarim was accustomed to arrogance during his most powerful period, but after his defeat in a battle against a challenger, he lost the right to be arrogant; all his confidence and status were taken away with him.

"With your primitive and outdated tools, how can you help me take revenge?" The Tal'darim only had eyes for Augustus.

"When humanity's ancestors set foot in the stars, I was already the most powerful Taldarim warrior. Your civilization is still as immature as an infant in our eyes. When the core fire of our spaceship illuminated the stars, humanity was still playing in the mud on the ground, fiddling with simple tools, and making slingshots out of branches."

"I cannot comprehend that you know the Taldarim far better than your own people," he Augustus.

"Even immortals cannot be all-knowing," Augustus replied. "Humans are far too young in the Koprulu Sector and even in the galaxy, but we know the power of fire. Compared to you, we at least possess teeth and nails that you envy—not to mention the disparity in the entire race, at least in Bhekar, our army is far stronger than yours."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. I don't believe a Tal'darim locked in Power Armor has any future," Augustus. "I'm only giving you a choice."

"I don't think your heartless compatriots and brutal rulers have any value that makes you swear allegiance to them," he said.

"If you can provide us with some information about the Baisheltadarin, such as the locations of cities on the ground or more intelligence, I can guarantee that even if you are despised by your own people, humans will still treat you as an honored guest."

"Oh—you probably can't understand with your pitiful brain capacity, that people don't care whether ants consider themselves gods," Taldarim said after a moment of silence.

"..." Augustus revealed his anger when he deemed it appropriate. "Do you think my patience is limitless? Let me tell you what I will do if you don't cooperate. I will show no mercy to an alien race that once slaughtered my people."

"I will send you to the alien lab, where my Psionics will use the cruelest methods to extract your secrets until you spill the truth. Then you will become a living test subject. Your torment will last as long as you have left to live."

"You're right." The Tal'darim saw their own future reflected in Augustus's mind. "Ever since I was crammed into that damned mech, I've had no future. I can no longer Rak'Shir Ritual and have lost my qualification to advance to become an Ascended."

"Even the slaves of the Taldarim lord look down on the Taldarim among the Dragoon; we are the lowest of the low."

"I know the locations of a few outposts," the Tal'darim said, "But I'm not sure if the warriors there have already been evacuated."

"Guards, map." Augustus waved his hand and walked to the bedside, almost a step away from the Tal'darim.

A Revolutionary Army soldier clad in crimson Power Armor handed over a Holographic Projection projector. As the soldier pressed the projector's start button with his finger encased in a metal plate, Holographic Projection image of a green planet immediately appeared.

These three-dimensional images were created by the Revolutionary Army Fleets and unmanned Scout parked in geosynchronous and low Earth orbits, and were accurate down to every inch of the jungle and rocks in Bhekar.

The Tal'darim glanced at the Holographic Projection of the planet Bhekar. Using human instruments was not difficult for him; the Protoss had similar devices, and they were much more advanced.

He stretched out his only remaining hand toward the map formed by pure green Holographic Projection light. The Holographic Projection immediately expanded to cover half the size of the intensive care unit, and then shrank continuously with the movement of the Tal'darim's finger until it froze on the shadowy side of the planet Bhekar, the other side of the hemisphere where Augustus was located, which was still in darkness.

"I only remember a few outposts I visited," the Tal'darim said. "Every Breath of the Creator altar is different—I should remember."

As the Tal'darim spoke, he marked several points on the unfolded map, even using his sharp-clawed fingers to indicate the possible number of troops stationed there.

"How many people are there in the Taldarim of Bhekar?" Augustus.

"There are roughly between five thousand and fifteen thousand people. We have three aircraft carriers and over a hundred transport ships," the Tal'darim said as they returned the Holographic Projection projector to the soldier.

"It's less than I expected," Augustus nodded and said to Kerrigan beside him.

"Tell the General Staff that I need to convene a new operations meeting in two hours."

"How many planets like Bhekar do you have left? How many cylindrical warships like the ones that appeared on Bhekar before do you have left?"

"Countless," Taldarim said. "Our footprints are all over the galaxy. Slayn's Death Fleet could easily defeat your wrecked ship above Bhekar."

"But as far as I know, you are only a part of a very small Fleets," Augustus said with a smile.

"Put away your arrogance, for it is usually associated with ignorance and stupidity." He acted as if he were disdainful of Taldarim's arrogance.

Tell me, how much do you know about humanity?

"We've been watching this young race ever since human ships first appeared in our sight," the Tal'darim said. "There have been many such races throughout history, some perished in civil wars, others vanished before the interstellar age. Humans are no different; you are cunning and greedy, backward and ignorant."

"Humanity's planet is too far from our territory. The high lords of Slayn strictly forbid us from contacting humans, because destroying a weak race would surely attract the attention of our abhorrent brethren Protoss Aiur. Of course, we are not afraid of them, but rather it is for the sake of a grander plan."

"A plan?" Augustus asked. "What plan?"

"Conquer the entire universe," the Tal'darim said with extreme confidence, seemingly believing it to be a matter of course.

"Indeed quite great—I have one more question." Augustus nodded and commented. Augustus had the Terran Confederacy to deal with, and didn't have time to worry about the Taldarim.

What are the Aiur Protoss?

"Our brethren on Aiur, always chasing after flashy golden armor, are hypocritical and cowardly," said the Tal'darim. "Compared to them, the Nerazim of Shakuras are like rats in the gutter, for stealth is the act of cowards."

"Alright, I think I understand," Augustus.

Do you know Aiur's coordinates?

"I don't know," the Tal'darim continued. "Although our ancestors came from Aiur, that was a long time ago. Now, perhaps only high-ranking lords know the exact coordinates."

"Why do you need to know Aiur's coordinates? The Aiur Protoss think they've hidden them well—it's a secret."

"I'm just curious," Augustus. "But you should know Slayn's coordinates, or perhaps you know more about the Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment."

"If you don't know, then tell me who knows."